Embrace adversity and train an unceasing, unstoppable, forthright positive attitude

Adversity is a part of life, it’s part of being a human being. It comes in all shapes and sizes, from the smallest issues in our daily life to unimaginable difficulties. Luckily for most of us the latter is rare, however we are faced with problems on a regular basis. For the most part, we don’t like adversity, it’s unpleasant. It interrupts the perceived smoothness of our life, it can make us feel fearful, remind us of unpleasant situations or relationships, put us in a state of worry or anxiety, and generally undermine our sense of security.

 

When these difficulties hit, we can feel overwhelmed, not know what to do, want to abdicate responsibility or just plain ignore them. Whatever the case is, we either have to address them or the problem just sits there in the background, creating a constant feeling of unease. These unpleasant feelings can then come out sideways in our relationships, affecting other areas of our lives, creating further difficulties.

 

Our relationship to difficulty is usually a negative one. This is an understandable response but if we return to the fact that adversity is an absolute certainty in our lives, why don’t we change our attitude towards it? To focus on the benefits that can be realised by engaging with adversity is a positive attitudinal change, and it can completely remove a significantly uncomfortable aspect of our lives that is a regular visitior.

 

The unpleasantness of adversity is about fear. Whatever the situation is, it is threatening to cause us suffering in some way, whether it be through loss in some form or another, or physical, mental or emotional pain. Even the prospect of addressing the adversity can bring painful feelings which cause us to procrastinate on the issue. We therefore ignore the problem and endure further negative feelings until we address it.

 

Many times I’ve put things off until the last moment, to then wonder what all the fuss was about. All this effort expended in not facing a problem, in most cases a problem overblown in significance, when we could be using that energy to move forward. Instead of sitting in despondency, disappointment or disempowerment and wishing the situation to be other than it is, why not jump in one hundred percent? You're always stronger than you think.

 

Embracing adversity is about actively and positively deciding to engage with it regardless of our unpleasant feelings. In fact, getting a bit roused up and determined can actually invigorate us. We can even get excited about sorting out our issues, not only to clear the air, but because it strengthens us. Difficulties are opportunities to grow, we become a better person every time we consciously decide to wrangle with our problems as quickly and effectively as possible.

 

This is the practice of facing our fears, even eagerly walking towards them saying ‘I’m done with you, it’s time to throw down, you aren’t going to hold my life to ransom anymore!’ This can be a very invigorating and motivating practice, one that goes a long way to increase self confidence and personal fortitude.

 

Another aspect of engaging with difficult experiences instead of trying to ignore them or block them out is that, with a positive mindset, these experiences always bring valuable reflections, learnings and strong motivations to overcome them. I’ve experienced this many times.

 

These understandings might not come while you’re under the pump, in the middle of the drama, but they will definitely come after the fact when mental and emotional space has returned and we can reflect on what has transpired. This is always very revealing and prepares one for next time.

 

Removing adversities' power over us, is as usual, about bringing awareness to it. We decide to face it, look at what the specifics are of the actual issue and assess what it is we’re actually scared of, what fears are being triggered, what reservations we have about tackling the problem and bringing it to a resolution.

 

Logically working through our fears can quickly reveal that they have very little, if any relevancy, and if there is some justification for the depth of the fear, we are always better off bringing it to light. If a problem does have potentially significant consequences, no good ever comes from ignoring or avoiding them. You’re far better off being as informed as possible, even if it’s painful. Eventually we’re going to have to face the situation.

 

Shifting our attitude towards adversity to one of courage and action is just a matter of training. When problems arise and we feel that first pang of fear, we remind ourselves to face it and remember that tackling things head on is the quickest and best strategy to clearing the way.

 

Instead of shrinking, we can conscious rouse our excitment about smashing through it. We can bring this context of warrior practice to bear on all aspects of life, to our overall commitment to face our fears with vigour, and be the best person we can be. This training can take hold relatively quickly as we practice it, because we prefer the freedom of resolving issues quickly versus having them hanging around our neck.

 

The willingness to positively engage with difficulty, to see it as a life lesson rather than an unwelcome distraction to a happy life is a hallmark of a positive attitude. All practices here are about shifting our attitude and there’s no aspect of our lives, no individual momentary experience that we can’t reframe our relationship to. All we need to do is be as aware as we can so we remember to do so.

 

Changing one’s attitude, changes one's reality. We see life in a completely different way when we are in a positive frame of mind, versus a negative emotional state. If we prioritise awareness of our mental states and cultivating positive ones, practice almost becomes easy.

 

The more we abide in the bright states of mind, the more inspired by them we become, the more we want to live to our fullest potential and not waste energy and time on being negative. Training an unceasing unstoppable positive attitude may seem like a tall order and put it out of reach, but the key word is training. It’s about progress not perfection, and the aspiration and intention to continually move towards the positive, to choose the high road, to strive for that which is good, for ourselves and all beings that cross our path.